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Burundi's parliament approves 2 new members of electoral commission

Xinhua, June 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Both chambers of the Burundian parliament approved on Friday afternoon two new members of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) who will replace two ladies resigned earlier this month.

The two new female members are Annonciate Niyonkuru and Alice Nijimbere, both Tutsi, replacing respectively of Spes-Caritas Ndironkeye who was the CENI Vice-President and Illuminata Ndabahagamye who was in charge of finance and administration.

At the National Assembly (lower chamber), the candidacies of the two were approved by 81 out of 82 MPs present at the plenary session, while at the Senate (upper chamber) 33 voted for them and 3 against.

"I am satisfied with the vote because the CENI is now going to be complete in accordance with Article 90 of the national constitution which provides that the CENI is composed of five commissioners from various political spheres and ethnic groups," said Pascal Nyabenda, chairman of the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD).

Annonciate Niyonkuru, the future CENI Vice-President was the President of the first instance court of Ngozi in the northern province of Ngozi and Alice Nijimbere, the future commission in charge of finance and administration was working in the education sector at Matongo in the northern province of Kayanza.

On June 1, the two former members, both from the Union for National Progress, confirmed their resignation through separate letters sent to CENI President Pierre Claver Ndayicariye.

In their letters, they explained that "the prevailing political and security environment does not offer ideal conditions" for holding elections which are very important for the Burundian people.

With only three remaining commissioners, CENI could not make any decision as it required four out of its five commissioners to make decisions.

Burundi is to hold elections in June and July.

A new election schedule shows that legislative and communal polls will take place on June 29, the presidential election on July 15 and senatorial elections on July 24. Endite